transvestic
- adjective
- /trænzˈvɛstɪk/
- Offensive
- The documentary explores the lives of individuals who experience transvestic arousal when wearing outfits designed for the opposite gender.
Examples
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He discovered that his transvestic interests were a key part of his sexual identity, leading to greater self-acceptance.
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Many people find that their transvestic tendencies allow them to express their true selves through clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex.
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But this mechanism of substitution, which is the trigger of transvestic fetishism, is also the very essence of theater" (Vested 29).
Academic text (2003)
Surface Forms
Morphology
transvestic = transvestite (transparent) = trans + vest + transvestite + ic
Formed directly from the noun 'transvestite' by adding the adjectival suffix '-ic', a regular and predictable derivation.
Etymology
Transvestic comes from the parts trans- meaning 'across' and vest meaning 'clothes', as in the everyday word vest. It literally suggests dressing 'across' genders—wearing the clothes of the other sex—which is why transvestic describes sexual excitement linked to wearing those clothes.
